The success of hip-hop is rooted in pioneers doing the work without seeing it as work. Hip-hop is often viewed as a man’s world, but there are plenty of women who have held it down, helping it grow into the worldwide phenomenon it is today.
Suggested Reading
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve rounded up just a few of the women who sacrificed and used their talents to help the genre grow into a billion-dollar industry. They set the tone for all who continue to enjoy the genre today.
Sylvia Robinson
Sylvia Robinson, a singer, songwriter, and music producer before turning her sights to business, founded Sugar Hill Records and became the “mother of hip-hop.” Sugar Hill Records produced and released the first commercial hip-hop hit by the group Sugar Hill Gang, the infectious “Rapper’s Delight,” setting the music industry up for an unexpected genre that would rule the music world for decades after its release.
Cindy Campbell
Kool Herc is known as the “Godfather of Hip-Hop” because he DJed a party in the Bronx, setting the stage for the very first hip-hop party in 1973. However, it was his sister, Cindy Campbell, who actually promoted that party where her brother was spinning, giving her recognition as the “First Lady of Hip-Hop.”
Queen Lisa Lee
Without Queen Lisa Lee, we may never have such hip-hop luminaries as Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Cardi B and Ice Spice. This Bronx-born emcee was the only female in Afrika Bambaata’s Soul Sonic Force and was one of the first women not only to write her own lyrics but also to command a crowd just as well as her male counterparts. She was even featured in the hip-hop movie, “Wild Style.”
MC Sha-Rock
As hip-hop was commercializing, with the Sugar Hill Gang hitting the studio and signing to a record label, many other emcees were trying to pursue the same dreams. Yet, MC Sha-Rock beat most of them to become the very first woman to be recorded on vinyl. She was also one of the first female emcees to be part of a group as the only female in the collective of rappers known as Funky 4 + 1, Sha-Rock being the 1.
Mercedes Ladies
Two decades before Missy Elliot, Da Brat, Left Eye, and Angie Martinez appeared on a song with Lil Kim for her “Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix-1997),” there was an all-female crew from the Bronx doing it just like the boys. The Mercedes Ladies, who formed around 1976, were a group of DJs and emcees who did their thing to represent the ladies in hip-hop. The collective featured DJ Baby D, DJ RD Smiley, and MCs Sheri Sher, Zina-Zee, Eve-a-Def, and several others, becoming the first all-women hip-hop collective.
Lady B
Lady B is a Philadelphia DJ who was the very first solo female emcee to record a song on vinyl in 1979, the year she began her radio career. The familiar phrase heard throughout hip-hop since its early days is attributed to her record “To the Beat Y’all.” She was one of the few people playing hip-hop outside of New York at a radio station before the culture took over the airwaves.
Sylvia Rhone
Sylvia Rhone is the first Black woman to lead a major label, becoming Chairman & CEO of Elektra Records. Although Elektra wasn’t a hip-hop label, many successful rap acts fell under her tutelage. She has been a major player in getting hip-hop artists heard and seen through her work. Her reign still continues as the President of Epic Records.
Queen Latifah
Dana Owens chose the right moniker when she gave herself the title of Queen Latifah. Not only has she been a successful recording artist and actress, but she has also proven her business acumen, having led successful companies under her Flavor Unit Brand. The queen is an entrepreneur, but she has also proven that her success is beyond her talent by becoming the first hip-hop artist to be nominated for an Oscar, keeping that crown straight on her head.
MC Lyte
Brooklyn emcee MC Lyte was slaying the mic from an early age, and with the tenacity of a worker bee, she used her music and lyricism to become the first solo female rapper to release a solo album, setting the stage for every female rapper after her to do the same. In addition to leading a management company, DJ gigs, and acting roles, she became the first female hip-hop artist to serve as Chair of the Grammy Foundation.
Salt-N-Pepa
These three women from New York City set the world ablaze when they came out lyrically swinging on Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick, dropping their first single, “The Showstopper,” letting people know they could go toe-to-toe with the boys in the arena of emceeing. That start gave them a moment that led to Salt, Pepa, and DJ Spinderella becoming the first female rap group to go platinum, and they are still going strong.
Missy Elliot
An innovator does not even describe Missy “Misdeameanor” Elliot with her diversity in talents between songwriting, singing, rapping, and the visuals attributed to her in her videos, along with selling a whole lot of records; it only made sense that she was the very first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Roxanne Shante
Who knew that a 14-year-old girl could defeat everyone in a rap battle, including boys, in Queensbridge? When Roxanne Shante started making a name for herself on the street for her rapping prowess and caught the attention of producer Marley Marl, she did something no one expected. She started a rap beef (after releasing Roxanne’s Revenge) that spawned over 100 “response” records from just about anyone with access to a microphone, setting the tone for artists “beefing” on record, which continues today.
JJ Fad
When MC J.B., Baby D, and Sassy C were rapping on the song “Supersonic,” not only were they setting the tone for female groups to be heard and sell records, but they were also letting the world know that female emcees are here to stay. The success of the song, recorded and produced for Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records, led the group to be the very first all-female rap group to be nominated for a Grammy (Best Rap Performance), while also making enough money to finance N.W.A.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
